Theatre Royal, Brighton – until 16th July
Reviewed by Sue Bradley
4****
Every theatre performance now starts with a request to silence your mobile phone. For this show, instead of the usual spoken announcement, we were treated to a witty and tuneful sung request which helped set the scene for what was to come.
Adapted from the hit movie of the same name, the show is built around Jenna, played by Chelsea Halfpenny (Casualty, Emmerdale). Jenna is a gifted baker, making fabulous pies with unusual names drawn from her personal life, like I Hate my Husband and Take me to the Moon pies, for her local and diner and pie shop. Stuck in an unhappy marriage to the graceless Earl, she feels she is going nowhere until the twin events of an unexpected pregnancy and falling in love with the local doctor set her on a course to a new life.
Navigating these changes will not be easy but, with the support of her friends and colleagues and a certain amount of soul-searching, she eventually arrives at a satisfying and happy conclusion.
But this is not an angst-ridden show; it is feel-good right from the start. The entire cast weave in and out of the action with almost balletic precision, bringing humour and warmth. There are many pieces of visual ‘business’ that delight the eye and are executed so well that you cannot help but smile at how well it has all been done. Ogie, played by George Crawford, gave us some great clowning during his wonderfully choreographed number.
Sarah Bareilles’ songs have witty and often moving lyrics, and are clever, tuneful, and sometimes surprisingly intricate. This is very sophisticated writing, masquerading as simple show tunes.
The entire cast and on-stage band rise to the challenges of performing this kind of material – whether single voice or multi-part, the musicians and singers always created a harmonious backdrop that was completely relevant to the story. No mean feat.
With an ensemble cast of this quality, it is difficult and almost irrelevant to highlight particular musical performances – everybody absolutely owned their part but if I had to single anyone out, Wendy Mae Brown (Casualty, Four Weddings and a Funeral) as Becky, has, arguably, the best voice, with I didn’t Plan It. Old Joe, played by Michael Starke (Brookside’s Sinbad) gets the most touching number with Take it from an Old Man and Chelsea’s She Used to be Mine is a stand-out ‘torch’ performance of a beautiful song.
The Set design is also worthy of mention – apparently simple but not minimalist, each scene was presented without unnecessary detail and the scene changes were achieved without fuss, largely by the cast, clearly showing how well rehearsed the whole production was.
One minor criticism – the sound, whilst never too loud, often lacked a little definition – it wasn’t that the band were too loud, nor the singers too quiet, it just felt like the sound was slightly veiled, making you have to strain sometimes to hear the words, although you could always hear the tune.
We were in a packed house on a Monday night, which should tell you something about how enjoyable this evening was. Although a simple story, it was told with wit and charm and, if you are a lover of musicals, this is a must see.